Hole conditioner



Oct. 4, 1966 c. w. TURBYFILL. 3,276,521

HOLE CONDITI ONER Filed NOV. 29, 1963 (flaw/er W. 70/49/79 INVENTOR.

B Ha czw & RWJ

United States Patent 3,276,521 HOLE CONDITIONER Charles William Turhyfill, R0. Box 490, Marshall, Tex. Filed Nov. 2?, 1963, Ser. No. 326,798 2 Claims. (Cl. 166-173) In making an oil well, the first step or operation is to drill a hole in the ground to a desired depth. Hereinafter this hole will be referred to as the well bore. During the drilling of the well the well bore is kept filled with drilling mud which consists of water with certain colloids suspended therein. The drilling mud is kept in continuous circulation during the drilling operation. It is pumped through the drill stem to the bottom of the well and returns to the surface through the annulus and is the means of bringing cuttings out of the well. Since some of the colloids in the drilling mud are minute fibrous material and since the pressure within the well bore is often greater than the pressure within the stratas of earth, a fairly dense residual forms on the walls of the well bore called filter cake. Also since the drilling mud is an emulsoid a certain amount of it will attach itself to the well bore in the form of a jell. After completion of drilling, a later phase of operations is to lower a string of pipe into the well bore as concentrically as possible. In preparation for completion of the well this pipe must be cemented into place. Prior to cementing, however, it is necessary to remove the filter cake, jell and other residuals from the wall of the well bore as it is desirable that the cement fill the entire annulus, bonding itself to the pipe and the natural formations of the earth. This is accomplished by equipping the pipe with certain devices that will abrade, scratch or wipe away these residuals when the pipe is either reciprocated or rotated, after having been lowered to the bottom of the well bore. Since the process of running pipe into the well bore is comparatively slow, other known abrading devices will not remove the residuals as the pipe goes into the hole and do not begin to efiectively remove the residuals until reciprocation is begun, which occurs after the pipe is at the bottom of the well bore. Since these residuals remain on the wall of the Well bore until the pipe is at the bottom, the annulus through which the drilling mud must pass is greately restricted, causing pipe drag and unecessarily great down hole pressure. The greatest hazard of all is, however, that when reciprocation of pipe is started there is the sudden dislodging of the dense residuals from the wall into the annulus for the entire length of pipe which is equipped with abrading devices. This causes the sudden and simultaneous increase in density of the mud column for this full length. This can and often does cause channeling or the pipe to stick. Also these cuttings must work their way up the annulus through restricted sections where pipe is not equipped for removal of the residuals. The device which I claim herein to have invented is designed so as to remove these residuals and restore the original annulus as the pipe progresses into the well bore. Therefore as the first or bottom joint of pipe, equipped with my device, continues downhole the residuals are progressively removed and pass through an open and well agitated annulus to the surface. Also because of the design of this tool, fluid flow is redirected so as to spiral up the annulus, and fluids are agitated causing an even consistency of the drilling mud. There is no sudden loading of the fluid column.

Hereinafter in referring to my invention and relating its merits I will call it a hole conditioner.

The accompanying drawing shows the design of my hole conditioner and the description that follows points out how this design accomplishes all of the objects listed herein effectively.

3,276,521 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 An object of my invention is to provide a tool that will abrade the wall of the well bore and eifectively remove the undesirable substances from it without gouging or damaging the Wall of the well bore. Each of these tools used provide almost complete coverage of the wall of the bore.

Another object of my invention is to allow free passage of the loosened undesirable substances through the tool itself, which eliminates the danger of the substances being blocked or strained out, as is the case with bristle type scratchers and other similar tools. My invention oifers no obstruction or restriction in the well bore.

Another object of this tool is to cause the mud and cement columns, as they are pumped through the Well bore and through the tool, to have a spiral movement about the pipe. The vanes, which are mounted Within the mounting collar at an angle to the axis of the pipe, cause the column to be redirected and spiralled out, or whirled out, into the the voids or oversize sections of the hole. Filling the voids or oversize sections of the hole with cement is of utmost importance to a good cement job.

There is no other device with angularly mounted fiexible vanes that extend from the mounting collar across the entire annulus to the wall of the well bore and can be greater in diameter than the well bore so as to effectively abrade the wall. The design of the hole conditioner is such that the flexible vanes can be folded fiat against the mounting collar in either direction and they will revert to their original shape and position without damage. This is possible because of the design of the vane the mounting collar and the manner in which the two are relatively mounted.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of a section of a formed round mounting collar showing the angularly punched slots in which the vanes are mounted.

FIGURE 2 is a cross section of the mounting collar shown in FIGURE 1 taken through line XX.

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of a vane prior to being formed.

FIGURE 4 is an elevation of the formed vane.

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the formed vane.

FIGURE 6 is an elevation of the inside of .a section of the mounting collar with the vanes installed in the collar.

FIGURE 7 is an isometric drawing of the formed vane.

FIGURE 8 is a top view of a section equal to one-half of a complete mounting collar with the blades of the vanes protruding outwardly from the mounting collar.

FIGURE 1 shows an elevation of a formed segment of my mounting collar with the angularly punched slots and punched holes. Each slot and two punched holes make up a related group in which a flexible vane is inserted. A related group would be made up of slot A with holes 1 and 1a, or slot B with holes 2 and 2b.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, a pair of annular spaced rings C and D are provided for fitting around a tubular member (not shown). Secured to and positioned between the rings C and D is an annular plate E formed of metal or other suitable material, such plate being provided with depending edges E and E which enable the plate E to be spaced from the tubular section or memher so that an annular channel is formed between the plate and tubular member. The rings C and D and plate E of the present invention form a mounting collar F which, as mentioned previously, forms an annular channel or protective cavity between the tubular member and plate F. The channel shape prevents the pipe from supporting the vane at line 3a when the vane is flexed.

The abrading elements as shown in FIGURES 3, 4, 5 and 8 will be referred to hereinafter as vanes. The flat unbroken surface of the vane, 8a, extending outside the e. mounting collar in FIG. 8, will be referred to as the blade. The two separated surfaces denoted by 8b in FIG. 7, which have been folded at an angle to the blade and through which the round holes 3b are punched, will be referred to as the legs. The legs have been separated, or created, by removing a part of this inner portion of the vane up to or beyond the line 3a. This surface may be simply split, with no metal removed, to accomplish the purpose for which it was done. The purpose of this is to permit the legs 8b to be folded at angles as shown in FIG. .4 so that they can be angularly mounted to the cylindrical mounting collar F and the surface of the legs will coincide with the surface of the mounting collar. This is in a case when the vane is mounted to and partly contained within and protected by a cylindrical mounting collar. The vanes are made of very flexible spring steel and are of a thickness so as to perform or function as desired. It will be noted in FIG. 1 that the slots in the collar are much larger than are needed for the blade of the vane to pass through. It will be noted in FIG. 6 that the blade emerges from the slot in the collar .almost or exactly equally distant from the two sides of the slot, and removed from the ends of the slot. It will be noted that the rivets denoted by 7a in FIG. 6, connecting the vane to the mounting collar are well removed from the folding line St: on the vane. The legs 8b are attached to the mounting collar in such a way that the blade 8a is at an angle to the axis of the mounting collar and of the pipe.

The vane is folded along the lines 3a so that the blade 8a is at an angle of more or less than 90 degrees to the legs 8b of the vane. When the vane is attached to the mounting collar the outer edge of the blade 8a is outwardly disposed toward the well bore with its legs 8b flexibly attached to the mounting collar at points 7a, FIG. 6, sufficiently remote from the folding lines 3a, FIG. 3, to permit a flexing of the metal between the folding lines 3a and the points of attachment 7a of the legs 8b of the vane to the mounting collar. The flexing of the vane between the folding lines and the points of attachment to the collar is not restricted by either the sides or ends of the slots through which the vane is inserted or by the points of attachment of the legs to the collar. I do not restrict myself to this specific mounting of the vanes, as other mountings can be utilized satisfactorily. The full flexibility of the vane is of utmost importance as there are times when the blade-8a must collapse flat on the mounting collar, and it must reverse, without damage, upon reciprocation of the pipe. When the blade 8a is collapsed in either direction, the flexing of the metal is distributed within the blade itself, the folding lines 3a and that portion of the metal in the legs 8b between the folding lines 3a and the points of attachment 7a to the mounting collar. This design prevents damage to the vane and permits the blade to return to its original shape and position. When the blade 8a is folded against the collar away from the legs 8b, the lines 3a recede into the protected cavity or channel of the collar. When the blade 8a is folded against the collar toward the legs 8b, line 3a progresses up into and possibly through the slot in the mounting collar.

Since the vane is made of flexible spring steel and designed in such a manner that it cannot be damaged once it is lowered into the well bore, this tool can be made so that the major diameter of the vanes when installed in the collar is less than, equal to, or greater than the diameter of the well bore, as desired. When the diameter of the blades is slightly greater than that of the well bore, maximum efficiency is obtained by this tool, as the wall of the well bore is abraded elfectively in addition to accomplishing all other objects and requirements. As seen in FIG. 8, which represents a section equal to one-half of a hole conditioner, the blades 8a provide almost complete coverage of the well bore, which is highly desirable.

Having thus completely and thoroughly described my invention and having shown that all objects set forth are both worthwhile and necessary, I hereby make the fol lowing claims pertaining to this invention.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus positioned externally of a tubular section for inserting in a well bore to clean the sides of the well bore comprising:

(a) two spaced annular rings positioned around the tubular section,

(b) a metal plate with said annular rings, said metal plate being spaced from the tubular section whereby said annular rings and metal plate form a mounting collar,

(0) said collar having a plurality of spaced openings therein, said openings being disposed in said mounting collar at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the tubular section,

(d) a plurality of thin plates of flexible metal, each of said thin plates including a pair of legs and a blade substantially transverse to said legs whereby said legs of each of said plates are fitted into one of each of said openings in said mounting collar and positioned to enable said blades of each of said plates to extend outwardly from said collar toward said well bore to be maintained parallel to said angularly disposed openings, and

(e) means for securing said legs of each of said thin plates to the inside of said plate of said mounting collar whereby said blades of each of said thin plates contact the sides of the well bore and said blades thereafter bend in any desired direction and wherein after contact with the well bore side said blades resume their shape.

2. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said openings in said plate of said mounting collar are substantially larger than said legs and the portion of said blades of said thin plates adjacent said openings whereby the bending of said blades by contacting the side of the well bore permits each of said blades to partially enter one of each of said openings and wherein each of said blades does not contact the tubular section and whereby each of said blades thereafter resumes its shape.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,272,253 7/1918 Green 166173 X 2,026,680 1/1936 Jacobson 15104.16 X 2,166,937 7/1939 Bettis 166- 241 X 2,312,600 3/1943 Steps 166241 3,072,195 1/ 1963 Kluck 16624 l 3,087,550 4/1963 Tyrrell 166173 3,176,771 4/1965 Claiborne et a1 166-173 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

D. H. BROWN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS POSITIONED EXTERNALLY OF A TUBULAR SECTION FOR INSERTING IN A WELL BORE TO CLEAN THE SIDES OF THE WELL BORE COMPRISING: (A) TWO SPACED ANNULAR RINGS POSITIONED AROUND THE TUBULAR SECTION, (B) A METAL PLATE WITH SAID ANNULAR RINGS, SAID METAL PLATE BEING SPACED FROM THE TUBULAR SECTION WHEREBY SAID ANNULAR RINGS AND METAL PLATE FORM A MOUNTING COLLAR, (C) SAID COLLAR HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED OPENINGS THEREIN, SAID OPENINGS BEING DISPOSED IN SAID MOUNTING COLLAR AT AN ANGLE RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE TUBULAR SECTION, (D) A PLURALITY OF THIN PLATES OF FLEXIBLE METAL, EACH OF SAID THIN PLATES INCLUDING A PAIR OF LEGS AND A BLADE SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSE TO SAID LEGS WHEREBY SAID LEGS OF EACH OF SAID PLATES ARE FITTED INTO ONE OF EACH OF SAID OPENING IN SAID MOUNTING COLLAR AND POSITIONED TO ENABLE SAID BLADES OF EACH OF SAID PLATES TO EXTEND OUTWARDLY FROM SAID COLLAR TOWARD SAID WELL BORE TO BE MAINTED PARALLEL TO SAID ANGULARLY DISPOSED OPENINGS, AND (E) MEANS FOR SECURING SAID LEGS OF EACH OF SAID THIN PLATES TO THE INSIDE OF SAID PLATE OF SAID MOUNTING COLLAR WHEREBY SAID BLADES OF EACH OF SAID THIN PLATES CONTACT THE SIDES OF THE WELL BORE AND SAID BLADES THEREAFTER BEND IN ANY DESIRED DIRECTION AND WHEREIN AFTER CONTACT WITH THE WELL BORE SIDE SAID BLADES RESUME THEIR SHAPE. 